Head On!
by Butch 2.0
Summary: Now having bloodied the Autobots and Decepticons, Lord Zarak looks for other ways to weaken his enemies. Follows from "Not to Reason Why"


**Head On!**

_The following takes place in the G1 continuity and occurs after the events of "Not to Reason Why" in the story arc that started with "The Return of Wheeljack."_

Zarak looked at his lieutenants. His recent victory over both Autobot and Decepticon was fresh on his mind, but more importantly it was the work left undone. Estimates of hacked communications suggested that he killed 30 Autobots and maybe as many Decepticons including four Combiners that would never see the light of day again. However he felt much like Yamamoto after Pearl Harbor. The great weapons of both sides never appeared. No Trypticon. No Fortress Maximus. No Powermaster Optimus Prime.

"My loyal Hive associates. Our plan to have Autobot and Decepticon destroy each other is still incomplete. There must be a way to defeat our adversaries using the superior brain power of the Hive and of course the brutal might of Scorponok," ranted Zarak.

"Things were easier when we had bodies. Sure those among who become weapons are not completely useless, but we need bodies again," responded Monzo.

"Resources for that are low. For now, we must be quick and invisible. Forget your need for bodies right now. Now I need information. Our opponents have all kinds of weapons and other secrets that they never shared with us. There must be something that the Autobots or Decepticons are hiding in those vaults that they do not wish us to know about," answered Zarak.

"Which is why those computers are guarded. The archives on Cybertron, the banks of Metroplex, and even the minor lunar base are well defended," commented Vorath. "How do you plan to beat that?"

"By piercing the weak link of the Autobot defenses: the humans. We will hack their network and its connections to Metroplex to gain access for the data we need. I will send you to Earth with our ally Fastrack and aid once you get there," answered Zarak.

Wheeljack had a promise to keep, and he was finally healed enough to do it. He adjusted himself and rotated back and forth to test his readiness. He then walked into the medical bay of Metroplex. He found a much different sight than the one that greeted him earlier, after Trapezus had been destroyed. The wounded Autobots were now well enough to leave and they mostly had. Only Streetwise and Blades remained on station. Optimus had assigned them fairly easy duty to give them time to get over the loss of their comrades. Cliffjumper returned to the moon to assist Jazz.

The ICU was still loaded and Wheeljack noted that someone had beat him to the punch. There was Perceptor, clearly doing both medical and scientific work on the shattered bodies of the Autobots in the ICU.

"Hi, Wheeljack. I'm sure you're wondering what I've doing. I have determined that the current bodies of our friends are not going to make it. I've requested Spike to construct new ones on Nebulos and ship them here," said Perceptor.

"Why Nebulos?" asked Wheeljack.

"They will be Headmaster compatible. I was afraid that their damaged sparks might not be able to fully control a new body. Besides you know the benefits of Headmaster tech," answered Perceptor.

There were a slavo of warning lights firing in the medical bay. Wheeljack snapped out of his stupor and noted that they were stasis warnings. "Scrap, I thought I had more time," complained Perceptor. "I'm losing the sparks on Tracks, Chase, Outback, and Pipes. The new bodies, just the first three, won't be here for days."

"We'll have to move the sparks to other bodies," suggested Wheeljack.

"There's nothing like that around here!" roared Perceptor.

"What are you talking about? This is Earth, there are vehicles everywhere," argued Wheeljack.

"Not in the next two minutes there are not. Besides, spark transfer is a risky and calamitous proposition. We can't simply do it over and over again til we get it right," answered Perceptor.

"Ok, okay. Look the only thing we have got around here that I know of is extra human exosuits," replied Wheeljack.

"That's not much, but it will have to do," said Perceptor. "Bring the first suit."

Perceptor and Wheeljack worked carefully to convert the exosuits into new bodies for the four stasis challenged Autobots. After a few minutes they were successful. The new bodies were holding the sparks and sparks were stable. The suits could transform, but the ultimate results would be some rather small human sized transformers.

"You realize Tracks is going to be upset with us," said Perceptor.

"Perhaps, but there is a way we could make him bigger," said Wheeljack.

"How so?" asked Perceptor.

"You said the new bodies were Headmaster capable. Arcee is a Headmaster with an exosuit for a head. We could modify these suits into Headmaster units like that. Now the vehicle part, in this case, won't have a mind of its own. It will be like a transtector, or something like that. So instead of Nebulans and Autobots, it would be a small Autobot and a drone. The combined power should still be stronger than a normal Autobot," explicated Wheeljack.

"I see. Well, there is no reason to keep these guys in the ICU now that they have fresh bodies. I will move them to the main medical ward. I would ask you to stay with them, Wheeljack, so there are no surprises when they wake up," answered Perceptor.

"Uh-huh," muttered Wheeljack. Their medical procedure had given him an idea for what to do with Sideswipe and Mirage, the remaining members of the ICU.

"By the way, did you happen to see where that orange drone dolly went to? I left it here a minute ago," commented Perceptor.

The drone dolly returned to its companions beyond the bounds of Metroplex. Monzo, Brisko, and Volrath had managed to tap into the Internet and were using their mental powers to hack into Metroplex's main frame from their little hidden bunker on the river side. They had access to a lot of data about the size and strength of the Autobot titan, but they weren't quite sure what Zarak wanted. Fastrack transformed to robot and downloaded his discoveries from the Autobot medical bay.

Meanwhile Fracas, Aimless, Nightstick, and Calliburst all waited impatiently for results. Finally Zarak's robot suit was visible in the communications screen. He was checking up on them and also responding to the data that they were transmitting to him. "You have done well, my Hive brethren. The Metroplex station is the basis of the Autobot Earth defenses. If it was turned against them, there would nothing on Earth to stop the titan," said Zarak.

"Meaning that the Autobots would have to call in the Fortress from Nebulos," commented Brisko.

"Exactly. Hopefully Metroplex and the Fortress Maximus would destroy each other. With them gone, we could easily recapture Nebulos and reestablish our power there," continued Zarak.

"But what of Cybertron and the rest of the Autobots?" asked Volrath.

"As soon as Fortress Maximus comes to Earth, the Decepticons will no doubt strike at Cybertron with their full power. The Autobots will resist and survivors on both sides will be few. We might even sabotage a planet's core again. When this is over, we will be the only winners left," responded Zarak.

"So first we have to corrupt Metroplex's loyalty circuits," reminded Monzo.

"Yes, our Headmaster methods are insufficient to takeover such a beast. We will have to do it the old fashioned way, by accessing his systems directly in his control center and implanting a shell program. That is where you guys come in. Fastrack has proven that he raises no suspicion among the Autobots. You just need to be careful. If you get caught, you are Nebulans who were lost. Most of the Autobot roster here did not fight you on Nebulos or on Cybertron. Good luck, angels," finished Zarak as the screen went black.

"Ok, what's our entry point?" asked Volrath.

"Ventilation shafts leading to the main computer and network hub," responded Nightstick.

"Ok, but where do we access those?" asked Volrath.

"Two points, either the east garage area or waste outlets on the river," answered Fracas.

"Waste outlets probably make the most sense," answered Volrath.

"They would, but look at what Fastrack found. (He played back the conversation of Wheeljack and Perceptor) Gentlemen, if we wait twenty-four hours we can have three new bodies delivered right to the east garage. That would enable some of us to bypass their security completely if we had Autobot bodies," brought up Brisko.

"All right then, we will start the operation tomorrow. In the meantime we will continue to explore Metroplex's mainframe remotely and see what this Internet can tell us," ordered Volrath.

Optimus Prime looked out into the hills from Lookout Mountain. He was talking to Hot Rod about his feelings regarding the battle of Trapezus which had turned out so badly. Hot Rod mostly listened, knowing that Optimus had mainly chosen to speak to him because he understood the burden of leadership.

"There were so many good bots lost out there," said Optimus. "It was different than the battle of Autobot City. I had chosen neither the time or the place for that battle. I had been on hand to try to fix things. I sent them to Trapezus to die. With this new Powermaster ability, I feel that I should have done more for them."

"We know you better than that, Prime. We know that you feel very deeply inside, but outside it rarely shows. It makes you great. Were we too trigger happy? Maybe. Did the war make us this way? Probably. I choose to blame Scorponok. You know that you would have sent in those bots ten times out of ten," answered Hot Rod.

"Yes, but I don't like the coldness of it," answered Optimus.

"Which is why you have little to worry about, sir," answered Hot Rod. Perhaps his time as Rodimus had changed him. Or his time with Kup. He noted a third Autobot approaching the station on Lookout Mountain. "Getaway's here, sir."

"We'll speak some other time, Hot Rod. Getaway, there is something I have been meaning to talk to you about," started Optimus as Hot Rod transformed and drove away.

"Which is what, Prime?" asked the smaller Powermaster with Rev visible on his back.

"Wheeljack has run some tests and simulations and Chip has made some observations about Headmasters and Powermasters," continued Optimus.

"Which are?" asked Getaway suspiciously.

"If the partner remains connected for two long, the mental energies can begin to merge until only one mind is left. Whether that mind is a composite or one mind dominates the other, no one knows. Chip has noticed this when he was merged with me, and other observations have been made by the Headmasters when interviewed. No one though depends on his partner like you do. Your injuries make you dependent on him for even basic mobility as a robot. As far as we know, you and Rev have hardly ever been apart since the Powermaster process was forged," stated Optimus.

Getaway remained silent. He knew what Optimus was saying. He had not considered it so severe a problem that it might cost Rev's mind. He also knew what he would have to give up in order to save Rev if that was the case.

"Perhaps your need for belonging, usefulness, and independence have blinded you to that truth. Then let me convince you with this. I know you are still Red Alert down under the new body and paint. The Red Alert I remember was a wiz at security, cautious, and conservative in action. In your time as Getaway, you have displayed the talents of a special forces commando or a Wrecker. You may have thought this was because of the power increase to the Powermaster process. It is not. It is because Lt. Rev Smith, your partner, has exactly that kind of resume. I don't know how long you can keep the two minds separated, but be wary if you wish to save the life of Rev, who has saved yours several times already," said Optimus. "Dismissed."

Getaway nodded and returned to Metroplex. He wondered what the solution could be. He entered the medical bay and attached himself to external power. Rev was able to decouple off his back and soon Getaway could see the smiling black face through the suit helmet.

"That's some rough stuff, friend," said Rev.

"We'll have to be careful, and disconnect when we can. If I can avoid the night beat, then you can do your thing then," answered Getaway. "Starting tonight. How bout I see you in the morning, Rev."

"Sure thing," answered Rev as he walked off to find some human companionship for a change.

Getaway looked over at the ICU. He could see Sideswipe, his relative, and Mirage attached to more machines than he was with the external power cord. He wondered if they held the answer, if they could ever get up, then maybe he could finally be free as well. He powered down for the night. He missed a flutter of wings go by.

Soundwave waited for Ratbat with Sixshot near the outskirts of Autobot City. Sixshot turned into jet/spaceship mode and blasted off. EDC detection stations caught him, but Sixshot used his abilities to create radar shadows that misled them enough. They arrived at Charr some time later where Galvatron was waiting for the lastest report.

"So?" asked Galvatron.

"There were Autobot survivors as you predicted, lord Galvatron," answered Soundwave.

"And how are they caring for them?" asked Galvatron.

"They have moved the sparks into human exosuits and upgraded them to Headmaster units. They are building transtector bodies for them to use," answered Soundwave.

"This is good news indeed. Our medical care has been suspect with the death of Shockwave during the Unicron crisis. What do we need to replicate the procedure?" asked Galvatron.

"A suit design. Headmaster connection fittings. Raw material for construction," answered Soundwave.

"We still have Reflector's files on the Headmaster and Targetmaster designs. We also have six Headmasters without heads with which to engineer fittings. What I lack is a surgeon who can do the job," commented Galvatron. He looked at his troops. "Hook. Mixmaster. I leave this up to you."

The two Constructicons shrugged at each other and left the other four to work on their project.

Fastrack covered the entrance as the Hive members used him like a vehicle to look more legitimate. An EDC crew was unloading the three transtectors down off of the shuttle. One was a gray fire chief's car with light bar. The second was a blue and yellow oriented car. The last was a fire truck, a red fire truck. They were all in vehicle mode.

"That's enough, fellows. We'll take it from here," muttered Volrath.

"Are you sure, we have explicit orders to insure…" started an EDC member.

"No worries, friend. We're Nebulans, this kind of work is our specialty," answered Volrath.

"Okay. Hey guys we're good. These Nebulans will take it from here," yelled the EDC guy. They left the garage area leaving only the Hive, Fastrack, and the transtectors.

"Now, Brisko, Monzo, and I will stay here with Fastrack and try these bodies. The rest of you begin the infiltration through the ventilation shaft. Wait for the right opportunity before trying to take over the computer," ordered Volrath.

The Targetmasters left as ordered. Brisko, Monzo, and Volrath walked around the new bodies. None of them had ever transformed something before. The Decepticon had always done that. They simply became the head.

"Do you think there's a code?" asked Monzo, examining the fire truck. There was no obvious port for him to attach to.

"Maybe. Where's the password?" asked Volrath. He messed with the blue car.

"Activate! Go! Transform! Head on you stupid car!" tried Brisko. The fire chief car contorted itself into a robot body that was surprisingly blue. Brisko transformed into a head and slotted into the open port. He stood up and looked around. The body was quite agile. Brisko looked down from on top of the body at his companions and smiled.

Volrath and Monzo looked at each other and both yelled "Activate!" and nothing happened. They yelled "Transform!" and again nothing happened. Finally they followed with "Head On!" and got the desired result. Each found himself with some kind of radio helmet capable of short range communications.

The movement in the garage had not gone unnoticed. Rev, walking back toward the medical bay, noted the activity and reported it to Perceptor through the communications system. Perceptor was flummoxed. He had given no order to activate the transtectors. All the intended Autobots were now in the secondary ward. What was going on. He called Blaster and arranged to meet him at the garage.

Blaster and Perceptor met at the garage to find the area sealed off. Someone had locked them out or the trouble makers in. They could see the mismatched heads on the robots inside. "Well, if they are Hive or Decepticon spies, what danger could they really get into? They closed themselves off. Metroplex's security will wipe them out, like a bad song," commented Blaster.

"Yes, but the transtectors have a lot of data on them preloaded. I thought of them as replacements for the Protectobots, the old guardians of Metroplex. One is still on the way. The Hive agents will have direct access to details about the system through those transtectors," answered Perceptor.

"Metroplex, this is Blaster. Activate lockdown sequence," ordered Blaster through the comm.

"Understood. Activating lockdown and internal defense sequence," answered Metroplex.

"That should slow them down," said Blaster.

Volrath looked at Brisko, "They've locked us down."

"No good, it means the shafts will trap our buddies," muttered Brisko. "Nothing's firing at us, though. Let's see if we can get out of this garage." He walked over to a security box.

"Autobot signature detected. Lock down status. Override code?" asked the voice.

Brisko downloaded the data in the transtector to his suit. "Siren."

"Code recognized and accepted, door opening," said the voice.

"How did you know that?" asked Volrath.

"There is a lot of data on this complex and its security systems in this transtector. I think he was supposed to be the new head of security," answered Brisko.

"I've got law enforcement protocols," answered Volrath.

"Search and rescue protocols," added Monzo. "In the event of a station security malfunction, they will evacuate." He contacted Fracas. It was their turn.

"Then let's head to the brains of this operation," answered Brisko.

Blaster and Perceptor immediately began to move toward the hallway that contained the Headmasters, but the door in front of them locked. They both realized that Metroplex would not fire on the transtectors, because they were Autobots.

"What is going on?" thundered Blaster.

"Someone is hacking Metroplex's controls," guessed Perceptor. A gun appeared from the wall. It fired at the two.

"Friend or foe program disconnected. All occupants threats," said Metroplex's voice. "Mandatory evacuation commencing."

A blaster fired and shot out the auto-gun. It was Streetwise, clearly looking for Blaster.

"Well, we better bail, Perceptor. Take Streetwise and get the secondary wounded out. The ICU has special properties and will surivive, now go now go, walk out that door. Don't turn around now, we're not welcome anymore," said Blaster. He unleashed Rewind and Eject to spread the word. Alarms began flashing everywhere except the hall where the Headmasters made their way to the control room where the Targetmasters had fought through the ventilation shutdown and began messing with Metroplex's programming.

Streetwise and Perceptor got the wounded out of the hospital ward and outside. The ICU was left alone. As Streetwise checked one final time he noticed Getaway attached to the wall. He reached for the wires to unhook him, but Getaway stopped him. "If you do that, I will not survive ten minutes. You must leave me."

Perceptor yelled down the hallway, "Streetwise, bring him, quickly. There is no time for debate."

Getaway shook his head.

Streetwise looked at his eyes closely, and pulled away as if he had found what he was looking for.

"Well?" demanded Perceptor.

"Shut yo mouth. I take orders from one bot, and his name is Hot Spot," answered Streetwise. He walked by the shocked scientist who followed. They met Blaster, Rewind, Eject, Wheeljack, Hot Rod, Seaspray, Chip, Blades, and Optimus Prime. The alarms stopped, and that was when the Autobots knew the real trouble would begin.

"Situation report Blaster," ordered Optimus as they watched the eerie quiet fortress.

"Headmaster infiltration, Prime. They jazzed in, stole the transtectors and then hacked the system," reported Blaster.

"What can they do?" asked Optimus.

"It will take some time to completely takeover Metroplex's systems," answered Blaster.

"Autobots, humans, tremble before me!" came Zarak's voice from Metroplex. "Your Metroplex is gone and only this Metrotitan remains! Prepare to live in fear…" rambled a broadcast Zarak voice.

"Blaster, jam that transmission. Blades, head to Lookout Mountain and alert Jazz. Maybe he can get the Dinobots down here," ordered Optimus.

Blaster transformed and played an interfering frequency that killed whatever long range feed Zarak was spilling into his 'Metrotitan.' Blades transformed and took off for the Mountain outpost.

Hot Rod looked at Optimus, "What are you going to do? Call for help? Fortress Maximus?"

"No, we cannot leave Nebulos unprotected. Since we know the Hive is behind this, then they want us to call off Spike. No, we will try to keep the Metrotitan occupied until we can regain control. Wheeljack, any tech ideas?" responded Optimus.

"I'll get back to you, Prime," answered Wheeljack.

"Then we need to get inside. Rewind and Eject, your mission is to disrupt the programming introduced by the Headmasters and restore Metroplex. It will not be easy, but I am sure the two of you can work your way through it. You must. Seaspray, go find the Technobots and bring them here. Hot Rod, go find Sky Lynx. Bring everyone back here. Have I forgotten anyone?" asked Optimus looking around.

"Punch, Sandstorm, Warpath, Powerglide, and Beachcomber moved further north," answered Seaspray.

"We'll have to hope they find us. Everyone else got out then?" continued Optimus.

"Getaway, sir. That dude is still inside," said Streetwise.

"Hmmm. That's one thing that we've got on our side," answered Optimus.

"Lot of responsibility for a rookie," commented Perceptor, who had been arranging a field hospital.

"There is more to him than meets the eye," smiled Optimus Prime with his face shield.

Rev had followed the Headmasters to the main computer room. He knew this was trouble and he heard what was going on. They had planted their shell program and taken over the station. There was an argument of what to do next. Some wanted to transform the base into a giant robot and attack. Others wanted to turn it into a mobile attack platform.

Rev had heard enough. He walked around the corner and raised the communicator on his wrist. "Autobots, this is Rev, can you hear me?"

Not far enough away. He heard the reactions of 'What was that?' and then the order of 'Fastrack, wipe him out!' Rev didn't need any more clues. He began running down back toward the medical ward. He could hear the machine gaining on him. Rev realized he wasn't going to make it. He ducked into the dispensary. The energon from the dispensary powered the Autobot occupants of the fortress and had to go anywhere in the facility. There was also a tube from the dispensary to the medical ward. Rev didn't hesitate and jumped in. He tumbled right in front of Getaway.

"Man, am I glad to see you," said Rev. He could hear footsteps.

"You can fill me in when our minds are connected," said Getaway. "Power on."

Fastrack was directed to the medical ward by the control room. He transformed and walked in to find Getaway still attached to the wall by the external power net. This would be easy enough, he figured, one gutted wounded Autobot coming up.

When he got close enough, Getaway swung hard at him. The punch slammed Fastrack against the wall and ripped the external power from Getaway. He pulled out his primary shotgun and blasted Fastrack in the chest. He then headed out of medical bay. Now able to read Rev's thoughts, Getaway knew how much trouble they were all in. He had to somehow overcome 3 Headmasters AND a hostile internal defense network. How?

Meanwhile, the Headmasters were trying to get their bearings too. Volrath, on the blue transtector controlled the station with orders to transform it to its massive robot. Monzo, Brisko, and Fracas watched security camera footage of the medical bay.

"Who is he?" asked Fracas.

"Give me a minute," answered Monzo. He plugged a picture of Getaway into the Metroplex personnel database. "I got it. He is Getaway, Autobot on assignment here."

"Resume?" asked Fracas.

"Hold on," continued Monzo. "I have a service record here. Commissioned 2006. That's odd, looks like he's a newbie. Wounded, battle with Trypticon, 2006. Restored to active duty, 2007. Citation for bravery, operations around Autobot City, 2007. Citation for bravery, lunar operations, 2007. Looks like a go getter, but he's still a little green."

"That's good. Because you are going to have to deal with him, Monzo. You and that fire truck. Take Aimless with you for good measure. Once we become a giant robot, there are only a couple ways he could try to stop us. You wait at the first chokepoint. Even if he does something cute, he'll have to come through the dispensary once we've transformed," ordered Volrath.

"Scattershot, reporting, sir," answered Scattershot as he brought his units forward. The Technobots and Sky Lynx now awaited orders from Optimus Prime.

"Here's the plan. Technobots, form Computron. Chip and I will form the super robot. Then we must do our best to distract Metroplex from the human population centers around here. Blaster has broken their connection to Zarak and will continue to do so…" started Optimus Prime.

Metroplex transformed into robot mode, causing consternation among the stones of the nearby mountains. He rose to his full height and looked for targets.

"No more time. We hold him off for Rewind, Eject, and whatever miracle we can ask for. Wheeljack, stay here with Perceptor and Blaster. Seaspray, support us from the river. Hot Rod, Streetwise, and Blades go evacuate all the humans you can from around here," finished Optimus.

Prime received Chip as an engine and merged with his trailer to form Super Optimus Prime. The change made him easier to see and more able to direct Sky Lynx and now Computron as the Technobots formed their combiner. Blades, Streetwise, and Hot Rod went in three different directions.

Metrotitan started by firing his rifle at them and trying to bombard the ground with his side guns. This became infinitely harder as Optimus, Computron, and Sky Lynx fanned out. Optimus took a few shots, but he wasn't really trying to harm the station. That might come later.

Inside, Getaway had grabbed on to a door way during the transformation to prevent from falling down the innards of Metroplex. He picked his route carefully through the chambers to avoid rooms with too many auto-guns. Finally he emerged into the dispensary, or what had been the dispensary. There were no options here, he had to go through this room. However he could make out something in this room. It was a fire truck.

"Inferno?" gasped Getaway. He could not make out the head of the other robot, and the dispensary was cloudy from dust that had moved during transformation. The fire truck raised an arm and Getaway saw a small Nebulan like weapon. A Targetmaster!

"Yes, you will be visiting the inferno," said Monzo. "Or at least I think that's what you call it. Get him, Aimless!"

"At least he doesn't want my job," muttered Getaway. He watched as Aimless fired repeated bursts of fire, but they were scattered everywhere. Getaway steadied his shotgun and fired. Aimless collapsed in a heap.

Monzo checked his own transtector's stats. He looked at Getaway. "Let's settle this like men."

"You're a Hive agent attached to a robot. Which part of you is man?" asked Getaway.

"Put up your dukes if you dare," taunted Monzo. He charged Getaway and the two began to tussle on the ground. Monzo thought he was doing pretty good with this whole plan, wrestling instead of letting Getaway's shotgun decide everything. He thought he had Getaway pinned down. He was trying to choke Getaway and he thought he had got him. One less problem to deal with.

As he pulled on Getaway's neck, the Powermaster suddenly smiled and using his free arms, bashed Monzo off. Bracing his feet in the transtector, Getaway then pulled at Monzo's headmaster unit. "Give me your face," he exclaimed as he ripped Monzo out of the transtector. Monzo squirmed for a moment until Getaway punched him in the face and he fell limp.

"I miss Inferno," muttered Getaway, stealing a glance at the motionless transtector. He began again to make his way toward the control room. He was a little battered from his encounter with Monzo, but no less determined.

Volrath watched the Autobots outside and the one Autobot that he knew was inside. "They're toying with us out there. They should have sent for Fortress Maximus already. What can they be up to?"

"They are dragging us southwest toward the mountains. There are no people in that direction," commented Brisko.

"Where's the nearest large city?" asked Volrath.

"Atlanta, fifty miles or more to the southeast," answered Brisko.

"Transform this thing to mobile platform and let's do it," answered Volrath. Metrotitan began to shift and contort into his mobile fortress mode. Optimus Prime hovered nearby, he could sense that the Hive had figured him out. He watched it turn toward Atlanta.

"Autobots, if you can hear this communication rally to Kennesaw Mountain. We must stop Metrotitan before he reaches Atlanta," called Optimus.

Within Metrotitan, Volrath prepared to deal with Getaway himself. He thought he had a new plan now that the chokepoints had changed again. Volrath left Fracas and Nightstick with Brisko and started heading down the corridor to engage the Autobot Powermaster. The new arrangement of Metrotitan had simplified Getaway's route, and prevented him from avoiding the fortress' security systems.

Getaway had clutched to the bulkhead as the fortress had transformed. He understood what had happened. He rushed down a corridor and opened up the next room, which was elevated and had Volrath in the blue transtector at the top. Getaway clutched his shotgun and prepared to charge, but Volrath had other ideas.

"I knew you would come. You've been a lot of trouble. But it is all over now for you," declared Volrath. "Activate auto-guns, target white car robot."

A ridiculous amount of guns emerged from the walls pointed at Getaway. Volrath waited for the fear to flash on the Autobot's face before he was bashed to bits. He did not see it.

Getaway put his gun to his side. He then announced, "Security Code 5 override. Authorization code: Red Alert."

Volrath laughed at such a gesture until the guns all turned on him and fired. He was forcibly separated from the transtector and in no condition to think, much less fight. Getaway found an inner voice wondering how he had done this. He reminded himself that he had been Red Alert in another life, and as Red Alert he had designed all the security systems present in Metroplex. He had designed some safeguards against a shell program takeover.

Brisko realized he was essentially on his own. His transtector contained all the security system data that he thought had existed. Yet this Autobot rookie had somehow manipulated the base's systems, avoided the base's weaponry, and defeated his two partners. His partners were Headmasters no less.

"Fracas, Nightstick, with me," said Brisko from the transtector. The two Targetmasters transformed into guns. Brisko figured that this should give him the advantage in a fire fight. The control room was not the place to have that fight. He exited the door, letting the Metrotitan shell program run on autopilot and looked for a place to make his stand.

Optimus landed near Kennesaw Mountain. Here he saw the line of Autobots forming to stop Metrotitan from reaching Atlanta. He saw many good bots, and hoped he would not lose many. Trapezus still weighed on his mind. Computron and Sky Lynx stuck out in the crowd, but he could also see Punch and Warpath. The others had found them.

"Me Grimlock report for orders," rumbled Grimlock from below. "Me Grimlock still not used to big Prime."

"We will hold the line here, Dinobots. Metroplex has been hacked into. He must not reach the humans," answered Prime.

"This big hole," replied Grimlock. "Dinobots will fill."

"I can ask for nothing more," answered Optimus. He readjusted his rifle as Grimlock and the others transformed.

"I know you're here, somewhere, Autobot. You have been a great thorn in our sides, but the game is over. Metroplex is ours. Soon it will destroy a human city and lead to the exile of your Autobots. Why don't you just give up?" broadcasted Brisko.

Getaway paused for a moment. Then he smiled. If he we was really inconsequential, why were they talking to him? He climbed a ramp that led to the control area. As he carefully tried to round the corner, he found a blast pass by his head. Someone was waiting for him.

"You never had a chance. I am a Headmaster and armed with double Targetmasters. My body has all the knowledge of the security arrangements of this fortress. Surrender now, and I may spare you," threatened Brisko.

Getaway squatted with his back to the wall, around which he knew Brisko was waiting. Brisko might have data on the station, but Getaway was the author of that information. As Red Alert he created the security apparatus and the specs. Whatever data Brisko might have was only Red Alert's conservative publication of what the station could do. Only Red Alert knew the full extent of Metroplex's security system, which was why he could command it even with the shell program. Getaway grabbed his shotgun in his left hand and began nudging it past the corner. His right hand he kept near his car hood.

Brisko targeted the shotgun barrel and shot it against the wall. Getaway emerged. For the first time he and Brisko were looking right at each other. Getaway was hunched over, showing signs of being wounded and dents from his wrestling match with Monzo. He was gripping his hood.

Brisko's dark head looked misplaced on the transtector. Getaway noted his legs. They were clearly marked with a fire chief symbol. The body was clearly supposed to be Red Alert's replacement.

Brisko leaned Nightstick on his shoulder. He sighed and then chuckled. "I told you," he said.

Getaway wheezed, "Yep, you got me." Getaway quickly removed his small secondary gun from his hood and fired to knock off Fracas and again in the other direction to get Nightstick. As Brisko recovered, Getaway charged and pinned him against the wall. He positioned his gun like a crowbar and began to pry Brisko off of his transtector. After he had gotten some separation, he used his gun as a hammer to sweep his head aside. Brisko crumpled against the wall.

Metrotitan noted his Autobot opposition. He transformed again to robot. He fired every gun he had at the collected group. When the dust cleared there were few standing. Most were wounded or down on the ground. Computron was split into his components. Only Optimus and the Dinobots remained standing between Metrotitan and the city. Optimus Prime began to seek out Chip's mind, did his Powermaster form have enough power to cripple Metrotian if they threw all their power together. Optimus aimed at Metrotitan's rifle. Around him, the Dinobots made a fiery wall to prevent Metrotitan from figuring out where his targets are.

Metrotitan felt his rifle fly from his hand. It mattered little to him. He swept the ground with his arm, spilling the Dinobots. He raised his other rifle at Optimus. Optimus responded by grabbing his own rifle with two hands. They both fired at the other.

Getaway overrode the security lock on the computer control room door. Then he transformed into a race car and popped Rev off. This surprised Rev, who knew Getaway would go into stasis after ten minutes without a power source. "Rev, you have to defeat the shell program. I know about the security controls, but not the computer subroutines that run the rest of the station."

"Uh, hello! We got this far because you were a security expert and I was a commando. I'm not a hacker!" complained Rev.

"You must try it," muttered Getaway in car form. Rev looked at the screen and then he heard foot steps. Were they back? The Targetmasters? He turned around and saw a small blue robot about the size of a human. The robot had his gun out, but holstered it when he saw Rev was human and not a Hive member.

Eject walked to the computer and began to fight against the firewalls created by the Hive. Rewind now also walked in. He sighed as he saw Rev, "You do good work human. Now if you excuse me, Eject will make much better progress if I create more trouble for the shell program inside." He sat down on the other side of the console. Rev walked between the two.

"You were here, the whole time?" asked Rev.

"Well, yes and no. We were trying to get through the station, but kept running into auto-guns and sealed entries. After the security loosened; we were able to make it the rest of way. We're sorry we couldn't help you," answered Rewind as looked at the computer code in front of him.

"So how are you going to beat it?" asked Rev.

"The shell program that the Hive created is not unlike a Decepticon cerebro-shell. I am going to attract the program to my strange activities. While I play the Trojan horse, Eject over there will activate the reset protocol on Metroplex. It is a less considered set of programs," answered Rewind. "It will reject all new programming since the Hate plague scare."

Getaway honked his horn. Rev realized what he meant and transformed back into an engine and joined with him. Getaway transformed. He looked out Metrotitan's optical screens. The behemoth was seconds away from blasting Optimus and minutes away from leveling Atlanta.

"To reset, you'll need a clearance code. There are only four Autobots that give that code. Blaster, Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Red Alert are the only ones that he will accept the code from," answered Getaway.

"Well' we can't really get any of those guys," answered Rewind. "For one thing, Red Alert is dead."

"I have an idea," answered Getaway.

The blast from Metrotitan's gun was enormous. Optimus managed to draw on his Powermaster powers to meet it and the two entered a tug of war. The Metrotitan blast came down. The blast of Super Optimus Prime climbed up. Optimus grimaced as he pushed his blast. He felt his feet slipping against the ground beneath him. He could see the blast center working toward him. He was losing the struggle.

And then, the resistance dissipated, Optimus' blast rose and overwhelmed Metroplex's rifle, melting it down. Optimus broke out of his trailer and doubled over on all fours. Chip disconnected and fell next to him on his back. Optimus looked at Metroplex who seemed motionless. Then his eyes gleamed blue and he brought his hand up to his shoulder. He brought it back down to reveal Getaway, Eject, and the Hive prisoners. Optimus got up to greet them. No one noticed Fastrack sneaking away. Grimlock and Slag also limped over to meet the victors.

"Me Grimlock say small people cause big problems," said a robot form Grimlock, waving his sword at the six prisoners.

"What will we do with the prisoners, Optimus?" asked Getaway.

"We will send them to Nebulos to stand for war crimes on their home planet. What Arcana and others do to them will have to depend on their brand of justice," answered Optimus. "Meanwhile, well done, Getaway. Wheeljack's wisdom about the Powermasters continues to pay off for us. We are in your debt."

"I hope that wisdom will help our other fallen comrades," responded Getaway.

"Speaking of that, did anyone order a transtector?" asked Brainstorm, emerging after landing a shuttle with the second delivery of the last transtector. "You guys seem beat up."

"Yes, but now we can use your shuttle, Brainstorm, to move the wounded," answered Optimus.

"Well, the fourth transtector is an ambulance of sorts. We could see how well the preprogrammed medical skills work," answered Brainstorm. Metroplex walked back to his normal slot in Autobot City and transformed back into a complex, making his medical ward available. Perceptor activated Chase into his new small mode. Chase found the form was still red, but not a car.

"Well, Chase, we saved your spark, but not your body. Your new body is that white car over there. All you need to say 'Head On' the first time and the transtector will merge your programming with its own," said Perceptor.

Chase, small and red, looked at Perceptor strangely. "Head On!" was heard, but it was a female voice. The robot that formed was also a female.

"Optimus, I thought Chase was a male," commented Blaster, who had returned from interfering.

"Brainstorm?" asked Optimus.

"Don't look at us, we built gender neutral transtectors," answered Brainstorm.

"Must be an effect of spark damage, like the Dinobots," hypothesized Perceptor.

"Who you calling spark damage?" responded Slag.

"Identify yourself, soldier," ordered Optimus Prime.

"Minerva, sir," answered Chase, now inexplicably Minerva.

"Welcome to you, Minerva, if you begin treatment of the wounded now," responded Optimus.

"Very well, sir. No one will harm the wounded," answered Minerva, who moved into the medical bay.

The other transtectors were brought down and repaired as well. Brainstorm took the Hive prisoners away. There was a concern that all of the sparks had been more damaged than anyone knew either in the battle or the transfer process.

Tracks became merged to Volrath's former body and he too was different, calling himself Nightbeat, but he had slightly more awareness of some previous existence just one that happened to involve a lot of human cinema.

Pipes merged with Brisko's former body. He became Siren and was somewhat disappointed that he was no longer a truck.

Outback became Hosehead, retaining his accent but not remembering much of his existence as a scout.

Wheeljack, back wounded in the medical bay heard about the new robots later. He kept that thought in his mind as he looked back over at the ICU where the three stasis forms were left.

Optimus began making new preparations to defend the Autobots. He ordered the construction of space bridges to link the Autobot allied areas. He also began to consider how much safer the Autobots would be if his Powermaster form was actually strong enough to take on Metroplex by himself.

Zarak recovered Fastrack as the drone floated in space and raged again. Fastrack still had the data entries of Metroplex, perhaps there was something there to aid his spirits.

Hook and Mixmaster emerged from their lab. They seemed relieved. "Galvatron, I present Ramjet and Dirge or as they prefer to call themselves, Dreadwind and Darkwing."

"Excellent, introduce them to their new bodies. Are you ready to destroy Autobots, my friends?" asked Galvatron.

"Let's get dangerous," answered Darkwing.


End file.
